India dances! - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

As I traverse time and space, in different cities of India, I see a renewed energy: The old and the young want to dance. Old ones more so! They have much to share and realise the light is dimming - if not fading - and they must make the most of it. Young ones are raring to go. Almost, too much of a hurry. They want to achieve in 3 years what seniors did in 30. They are in a hurry with a serious worry. Parents are pushy. They want their wards to become stars overnight. It is indeed a time of quantity over quality. That's why my search is for that spark, that lil star shining far away in some small town, with no means to reach the big scene. I go to Mangalore or Murshidabad; Patiala or Pataliputra in search of that gem lying hidden, unseen. 

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Book Review - Dancing Like a Man: Astad Deboo and Contemporary Indian Dance - Dr. Kanika Batra

Astad Deboo: An Icon of Contemporary Indian Dance
By Ketu H. Katrak
Seagull, 2025

Twenty years ago, Mahesh Dattani's landmark play Dance Like a Man portrayed the personal and professional struggles of Jairam, a male dancer. While Jairam faces numerous challenges, his wife Ratna rises above the constraints of traditional respectability to achieve far greater success in the world of dance. The play is about rigid gender roles, stereotyping, and expectations of men as breadwinners within Indian patriarchal systems. While it is hard to make a career in any art form in India, dance is specifically labelled as a feminine pursuit. Like Jairam, many male dancers encounter charges of effeminacy, dismissal of their artistic practice as gainful employment, and accusations of attempting to convert dance - perceived as more of a hobby (and a disreputable one at that) - into a profession. 

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A fortnight of programs off the beaten track - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Malavika Sarukkai's latest work, Beeja-seed, marking the tenth anniversary of Kalavaahini Arts Trust, founded with its multi-dimensional vision of 'fostering excellence in classical dance as a critical heritage of India', is designed as a clarion call to humanity to wake up and guard their planet Earth - the only home man has. The presentation at Delhi's Kamani auditorium on September 10 evoked appreciation and criticism (from the dancer group in particular), in equal proportions.....

Termed as a 'mélange of Bharatanatyam, Contemporary dance, poetry, drama and humour, based on Lord Murugan and his two charming consorts, Devayani (Devanai) and Valli', Kalatra by Natya Ballet Centre staged at the Shri Ram Centre, Delhi, had the audience in giggles punctuated by peals of laughter....

The crowning event of the fortnight, judged by the most exacting standards of excellence, was Saparya by Dr. Sridhar Vasudevan, the most undervalued of artistes among classical dancers. Transcending mere entertainment, the performance Saparya as an offering on his birthday at the Stein auditorium, Delhi, was a weaving together of esoteric concepts in Hinduism prescribed in Shastra....

  

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Tribute - Remembering and reflecting on my first dance teacher and idol - Uma Palam Pulendran

When I came to know that Ms. Vijayambigai Indrakumar (Nee Ramasamy) had passed away recently, I was shocked and deeply saddened. The last time I spoke to her was sometime in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a few text exchanges. In the last couple of years, I tried to reach her several times, but to no avail. I wish I had reached out sooner. I felt a deep sense of grief and regret.

As the news sank in, memories steadily came flooding back - from my last conversation to my earliest memories of her and our special teacher-student relationship. She was my first Bharatanatyam teacher. More importantly, she was my first "idol of dance" - my diva dancer. I used to address her as "Vijayambigai Ms.". We addressed our teachers as either "Akka" (informal) or "Ms." (formal). They did not become our "aunties" as we know them today. Now, referring to her as "Vijayambigai Ms." feels too formal and odd! 

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Book Review - Rudraksha Power - Vijay Shanker

The latest book written by Rajendar Menen is Rudraksha Power, published by Notion Press from India, Singapore and Malaysia and marketed by Amazon, and is available on all the platforms. This is a unique and unusual book that enlightens the readers regarding the significance of the Rudraksha, the sacred bead which is considered the tears of Lord Shiva, the inception, the varied types of Rudraksha, its medicinal properties and how it is used for spiritual and mental growth, well-being of human life and existence. 

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Prism - Art as labor: Toward sustainable models for independent artists - Adhirai Karthik

I revisited these ideas again as I attended and participated in Matrusena's Interbeing - a 3-part performance with the beginning starting as a vibrant panel discussion featuring six interdisciplinary panelists where these artists discussed their disciplines and their shared struggles and strategies for survival in the art industry. However, they weren't just talking about ideas in theory - they were living the very realities my teacher had voiced: how artists must constantly fight to fund their work, sustain their practice, and support themselves simultaneously. As Deepa Mahadevan framed it, the true challenge is not just making the art, but maintaining "the project, the art form, and the artist."

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A ten day period of variety - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

MAGIC OF KALIDAS POETRY EXPLORED THROUGH BHARATANATYAM / ODISSI COMBINE

The evening at the Stein auditorium, Kalidas Edit, sponsored by Bhagyam Arts run by Suranya Iyer, Shreyasi Gopinath Dance Academy, Sangeet Vidya Niketan and Habitat Centre, featuring the Odissi/Bharatanatyam combine of Madhur Gupta and Shreyasi Gopinath, was a valiant attempt at catching the seamless poetic imagery of Kalidas's evocative muse, through the language of two dance forms.

DANCE TEACHERS PROVE THEIR WORTH

How changed is the classical dance climate! One could hardly imagine a Nattuvanar like Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai or a Kittappa Pillai, from the haloed perch of teaching, coming down to presenting themselves as performers! The day of giants has long past gone and now classical dance teaching has passed into younger hands, and it was an interesting evening at the Kamani, when faculty members of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, took the stage presenting themselves as performers.

ADI ANANT - RARE EXPERIMENT IN KATHAK

Usha RK, with one of the most fertile minds for conceiving and assisting in creating productions, spurred by off-the-cuff themes, in her latest effort, involved Kathak dancers Sanjukta Sinha, Dheerendra Tiwari and Sanjeet Gangani, in what in this form of dance is an unusual concept. Adi Anant was on Shiva, who incorporates within his essence the Universe with the five elements. 

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Profile - Dr. Ajith Bhaskar's beautiful journey in dance - V.V. Ramani

The young boy tagged along as an escort for his sister to Bharatanatyam class. Little did he realize that the sounds of the Thattukazhi that reverberated there in the class, would transform his life, and that dance would become his life's calling one day. Dr Ajith Bhaskar's dedicated pursuit of dance has shaped his illustrious journey in the field. His contributions have been recognised, with the Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 being bestowed upon him from Sugam Culture and Heritage Foundation, the most premier music and dance organisation in Malaysia, recently. 

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Anita says...September 2025

It has been literally a few hours since I stepped off the stage with the 21st performance of NAACHIYAR NEXT, the fifth iteration of the stage production on the life of the teenage mystic poet ANDAL. The evening in Coimbatore was magical and the night for me was restless. Coimbatore is one of the favourite cities for me. Generational friendships, great food, timeless hospitality is a given when anyone visits. To see friends of 40, 50 years in the crowd - endless hugging, many teary eyed, loud laughter and chatter and posing for innumerable photographs. The feet are always tired after a show but the body hums with the vibrations and the applause. It is at moments like this that I remember what a gift it is to be a dancer. As I wipe off the makeup, remove my hair-do with the numerous pins, take a long hot shower, change into a comfortable cotton kaftan and put my feet in a bowl of warm water with rock salt and lemon, I think of my mother who fought so hard to give me (and my sister Pritha) the opportunity to dance when she was denied the chance by her strict father. I send a prayer of gratitude for her stubborn fortitude and to my father who endured years of censure from his elders for permitting his daughters to be on stage and the object of the male gaze. In their eyes, NOT to learn dance or music was like curtailing our chances to becoming the best versions of ourselves.

How strange and wonderful life has been for my sister and me. Me on stage and she, now a full fledged successful corporate, watching from the front row with such pride and joy - tears flowing from her face at the final moment of ANDAL's "becoming" a Goddess. 

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